Motor vehicle drive steering wheel axle structure



Feb. 1, 1938. A. w. HERRING'TON MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVE STEERING WHEEL AXLE STRUCTURE Filed April 28, 1937 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Feb 3, E38

aromas MOTOR VEHICLE DRIVE STE 1-i- NG AXLE S'ERUCE Arthur W. Harrington, vsignor to Marmon-He rim:

polis, End, ast Company, lino lindianapolis, Ind., a corration of Indiana Application April 28, 1937, Serial No. 139,387

201811128. (CE. 113mm One object of my invention is to produce an improved driven steering wheel and supporting axle structure which will be sturdy and can be producedat low cost, wherein the necessary universal joints of the'live axle structure, as to estabiished alignment with or centralized upon the trunnion axes of the pivoted wheel carrying casing elements, will be automatically maintained independent of the wear or proper adjustment of the wheel bearings.

Another object of myjinvention is to provide an improved hub for traction wheels. of motor vehicles, particularly heavy motor vehicles, and more particularly power driven wheels, wherein the brake drum and wheel are so connected to the hub that the wheel may be readily removed without disturbance of the brake drum and wherein the brake drum, together with the wheel, may be removed from the hub as a unit. The accompanying drawing illustrates my invention:

Fig. l is an axial section of a structure embodying my invention; and

Fig. 2 a fragmentary plan of parts thereof. In the drawing C indicates the main shell or easing element of the axle, said shell having a.

central compartment it, within which the differential gearing D is mounted, and oppositely extended tubular portions II, II. The difierential D comprises ring gear i2 supported at each end by bearings l3, l3, planetary gears 54 carried by the ring gear, and .sun gears i5, it, each of which is preferably integral with an outwardly extending shaft section i8 pro vided at its outer end with splines i'l. Engagement of gears: with ring gear, prevents axial movement of the elements l5-l6 in one direction and engagement of said elements l5-l 6 with the carrier ll of the planetary gears i4 prevents v axial movement of said elements ;l5-'--llin the other direction.

"7 Mounted in the outer end of each casing element I I and enclosing the splined end ll of shaft i6 is a shell 20 having a ball end 2l'over which is sleeved the inner end of a shell 22 provided with upper and lower inwardly-projecting and outwardly-withdrawable trunnion pins 23, 23 which enteranti-friction bearings carried in upper and lower pockets 2! in the ball 2| of shell 20. A constant velocity universal joint U, of'well lmown form, comprises an outer element 30, which is splined and freely axially movable upon the splined end of shaft l8, and an inner member 31 within which is splined shaft section 32, said shaft section being normally axially locked within eleover the .outer end of the bore of sleeve 41. Shaft ment 3! by means of retaining ring 33 provided at one point with an inwardly projecting linger 36 which may be axially movable in one of the splines of shaft 32 and, before fastening to element 3i, may be turned slightly into a circumfer- 5 ential groove 35 formed in shaft 32.

A stop ring 35 carried by shaft it forms an abutment for element 30' of the universal joint to properly position said element 30 relative to the axis of the trunnions 233. 10

Shell 22 is provided with an outwardly extendhis tubular portion All within=which is formed an outwardly-presented bearing pocket 4! and an inwardly-presented bearing pocket 42, said pockets respectively receiving the outer-races of 15 external peripheral flange 5| to which the wheel and brake drum are secured, said flange lying in a plane between the planes of bearings 43 and M.

A brake-drum carrying-ring 52 is secured by bolts 53 and nuts 53' to the outer face of flange 5|, and a wheel-rim carrying-ring 54 is removably secured to the outer face of the brake-drumring by bolts 55 and nuts 55'. This construction permits the independent removal of the wheel,

without disturbing the brake-drum, andpermits the removal of the, wheel and brake-drum, as a unit, .without disturbing the connection between the wheel and the brake-drum.

Within the outer end of the bore of sleeve 41 40 k is a compression spring which, at one end. abuts upon the outer end of shaft section 32 and at the other end abuts upon the cover plate 6| mounted section 32 is bored axially at 62 to permit injection of lubricant intothe interior of the universal joint lleither by a fitting 63 carried by plate 6| or byfa similar fitting (not shown) mounted in the outer end of bore 62, in which- 50 case plate 6| may be made. readily removable or perforated to permit access to said fitting. Hub H is perforated at two or more points, as indicated at 65, to permit access to the inner race'of bearing 43 to drive it axially from its seat; 55

said perforations being normally closed by removable plugs 66.

The inner race of bearing 44 is engaged by an adjusting nut 61 threaded upon the inner end of sleeve 41 and held in adjusted position by a retaining element 68, of well known form, also mounted upon the inner end of sleeve 41. Shaft section 32 being freely axially movable within sleeve 41 and element 30 of the universal joint U being freely axially movable on the splined end i! of shaft I6, spring 60 constantly biases the universal joint U to a centralized position relative to the axes of trunnions 23, yet permits outward movement, in case of need, so that the universal joint may automatically centralize itself relative to the trunnion axis, independent of the condition of the wheel bearings 43 and n Shell 22 is supplemented at its inner end by a two-part retaining ring 10 having an annular packing H engaging the surface of ball 2|. opposite ends ofthe axle structure each ring 10 provides a pivotal connection 12 for the connect-- ing stretcher-rod 13, and one of said rings I provides a pivotal connection H for the steeringrod 15.

I claim as my invention:

1. A driven steering-wheel axle-structure comprising, a, main casing having a middle compartment and oppositely-extended tubular portions, a

differential gearing mounted in said compartment and having an axially-restrained live shaft journalled within one of said tubular portions, 9. wheel-carrying shell pivotally connected with said tubular portion of the main casing, a wheel journailed on said shell and having an axially-splined hub; and a universally jointed live-shaft structure having one end splined to the outer end of said live-shaft and freely axially movable out wardly relative thereto, and the other end splined to the hub of said Wheel and freely axially movable relativethereto.

2. A driven steering-wheel axle-structure comprising, a main casing having a middle compartment and oppositely-extended tubular portions,

a differential gearing mounted in said compartmerit and having an axially-restrained live shaft journalled within one of said tubular portions, a

wheel-carrying shell pivotally connected with wardly relative thereto, and the other end splined i to the hub of said wheel and freely axially movable relative thereto; and a spring interposed between said last-mentioned end and the hub of the wheel to bias said universally-jointed structure inwardly.

ARTHUR W. HERRINGTON. 

